Arsene Wenger responds to Mesut Ozil's title bid criticism

Mesut Ozil recently stated that Arenal “mucked up” their bid to win the title. Over the international break the playmaker said that the team should have gotten results against the so called smaller clubs in the Premier League which they failed to do

But Arsene Wenger has hit back at the German and is not pleased with his comment saying, “I will make sure they don’t feel that. The statement is not welcome. Because we have to believe, no matter if it is just one chance in 100, we have to believe. We only have a real chance if we believe.”

Arsenal has had a terrible 2016 so far. The club has only managed to win 4 games in the Premier League since the start of the new year. This poor run of form has seen the team slowly slip out of the title race as Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur have increased the gap on the Gunners.

The manager feels the team have to remain optimistic in times of trouble and not give up until the end of the season saying,“I think the worst thing in life is to have wrong beliefs. So you have to make sure that you give absolutely your best, and at the end accept if somebody is better than you that you have given your best. We have to make sure that we play with passion until the end. That is the best way to get the supporters behind us.”

Wenger understands Ozil’s point of view on the results against the smaller teams but he feels that progress can be made only if they put those results behind us. “I have nothing against that. You want to be fair and honest. But you want as well to look forward.”

“I want these players to be rewarded. If you look at the effort they have put in since the start of the season, mentally in their work and dedication every day, you know this group deserves to be rewarded. But Leicester will say the same and Tottenham as well. There’s still good opportunity and we have to grab it now. It’s now or never.”

Arsenal have eight games left to rescue their title bid but they will have to hope their rivals drop points as well. The Gunners face a stern test against Watford at the Emirates today after they lost to them in the FA Cup a few weeks back.

With Tottenham playing Liverpool later today Arsenal will have to do their part to keep up the pressure on their rivals